2012 Japan Cup Dirt (G1) – Profile of Runners

(1) Hatano Vainqueur

Hatano Vainqueur is one of the most prominent dirt runners among the three-year-old generation. The King Kamehameha colt whose dam, Hatano Plie is byBrian’s Time, G1 winner and Preakness Stakes runner-up over dirt in the U.S., registered one win on dirt and was heavily defeated in two turf starts as a two-year-old. Focusing on dirt from his three-year-old campaign, he was undefeated in four consecutive starts, including his first G1 victory in the Japan Dirt Derby. Coming off a summer break, he finished tenth in the Miyako Stakes after being sent off second choice against older runners, but his connection are confident that the experience will work to his benefit in his coming G1 contest.

(2) Civil War

Civil War, regularly raced in graded events held by NAR since the latter half of the 2011 season, is coming off a second-place finish in the grade-one JBC Classic after registering back-to-back wins during the summer in the Mercury Cup and the Breeders’ Gold Cup. His form is showing an upward trend towards his first international G1 challenge.

Raced only once as a two-year-old, Civil War made his debut on turf and was switched to dirt in his third career start where he immediately exhibited his aptitude for the track by breaking his maiden with a five-length victory. The son of War Emblem continued to perform consistently on dirt during his three and four-year-old seasons, finishing within the money in nine out of eleven dirt starts—he was tested on turf twice during 2009 but finished fifth and eighth, respectively. His five-year-old season was not as successful, especially when being upgraded in level. After being winless for a year since his victory in 2010 in the Kanetsu Stakes, he was raced in NAR races where he immediately captured his first grade-race victory in the Breeders’ Gold Cup and registered another win in the following Hakusan Daishoten. He demonstrated his ability and speed in his first G1 challenge in the JBC Classic, where he finished third after chasing the pace to multiple-G1 winner Smart Falcon and two-time Japan Cup Dirt champion Transcend.

Civil War has displayed an impressive turn of speed both from racing behind and within the pace, traveling the fastest of the field in the last three furlongs in 19 out of 39 career starts.

(3) Miracle Legend

Miracle Legend got off on the right foot this season, immediately marking a win in the Marine Cup on a track rated muddy, and has been successful in defending her Ladies’ Prelude and JBC Ladies’ Classic titles, both of which are her most recent starts.

Winless in all three turf starts in her debut year, she kicked off her three-year-old campaign on dirt and instantly showed great fondness of the surface, scoring three consecutive wins over 1,800 meters. Coming off an encouraging fourth in her first G1 bid in the 2010 Japan Dirt Derby, she landed her first grade-race win in the Leopard Stakes at Niigata, where she poked her nose in front of runner-up Glitter Wing at the wire, after displaying a strong burst of speed in the straight. She claimed another win in the Queen Sho on a track rated muddy, and capped off her fruitful 2010 season with five wins out of six starts.

Her four-year-old campaign picked up steam in the summer, marking a three-race winning streak starting with the Kanetsu Stakes, then the Ladies’ Prelude and the JBC Ladies’ Classic.

Although winless yet at the highest level, she is 11-1-3 out of 22 career starts with victories registered in both JRA and NAR races over goings from standard to sloppy. She has scored nine wins and a second out of 11 career starts on dirt over 1,800 meters—her only unplaced finish being in the 2011 Japan Cup Dirt in which she was sixth by a close margin while recording the third fastest finish over the last three furlong—making her a commendable runner to challenge the Japan Cup Dirt once again this year.

(4) Espoir City

The 2009 Japan Cup Dirt champion Espoir City comes off his seventh G1 win in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai, in which he proved a different class with a dominating four-length victory in a field of 13. The two-time JRA Award winner (Best Dirt Horse, 2009 & 2010) has continued to excel in his seven-year-old season, with two wins and three seconds out of six starts to date.

Espoir City emerged as one of the most promising dirt-race specialists when scoring a four-race winning streak, all of them with comfortable if not overwhelming margins, after being switched to dirt in the midst of his three-year-old season. He had his best season yet with four wins, a second and a fourth out of six starts in 2009, during which he marked his first grade-race victory in the March Stakes, followed by three successive G1 victories, the last being the Japan Cup Dirt, in which the chestnut proved invincible after being pressured to set a solid pace and drew off to a comfortable 3-1/2-length victory.

The Akio Adachi-trained chestnut extended his winning streak into his five-year-old campaign to six, claiming the February Stakes and defending his title in the Kashiwa Kinen. Coming off a second in the 2010 Mile Championship Nambu Hai, he set off to the U.S. to challenge the best dirt horses of the world　in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he briefly took command at the stretch but failed to respond and quickly faded to tenth—this is the only single taint inEspoir City‘s superb career so far. He has only finished out of the money twice—finishing within fifth place in both cases—since the beginning of his six-year-old season and is no doubt one of the most reliable dirt specialists who has a good chance to claim his second Japan Cup Dirt title this year.

(5) To the Glory

To the Glory, although yet to claim a G1 victory, has added two grade-race wins this season, and after finishing 11th in the Japan Cup last year, he will be making his dirt debut in this year’s Japan Cup Dirt.

Unraced as a two-year-old, To the Glory made an impressive debut, kicking off his career with back-to-back wins, and showed a runner-up effort in his third start and first grade-race challenge, the Aoba Sho. Although seventh in his first G1 challenge, the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), he marked another win and a second before claiming his first grade-race victory in the Chunichi Shimbun Hai followed by a surprise third in the Arima Kinen albeit being 14th pick—he cleared the wire a neck behind runner-up Buena Vista who was just a nose to winner Victoire Pisa—and concluded his debut season with 4-2-1 out of 10 starts.

Although he notched two more grade-race wins early in his four-year-old campaign, he was heavily beaten after stepping up in class in his next two G1 starts and was also unsuccessful in his first Japan Cup challenge. However, he did prove that he can be quite a performer at G1 level when registering a third-place finish in the Arima Kinen for two consecutive seasons.

Kicking off his third season with a G2 victory in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai, his trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, who saddled Orfevre in the 2012 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, decided to accept his invitation to run in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1). But having being defeated to a double-digit finish in the following Nakayama Kinen, the King Kamehameha bay’s overseas challenge was put on hold. His Naruo Kinen triumph after a three-month break marked his fifth grade-race title but he was under form in his last two starts.

Although the Japan Cup Dirt will be quite a challenge for his first test over the new surface, his dam, To the Victory, who is a G1 winner on turf has also proved competitive against G1 company on dirt, having registered third in the 2001 February Stakes (G1, dirt, 1,600m) and second in the 2001 Dubai World Cup (G1, dirt, 2,000m).

(6) Namura Titan

Namura Titan makes his first Japan Cup Dirt challenge this year. The 2011 Musashino Stakes winner, who was forced to pass up the rest of the season after his G3 victory last year due to a bruised left hind foot incurred by a lost shoe during the race, was unraced as a two-year-old and won his first six career starts before finishing third in the 2010 Procyon Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,400m). He has a score of 9-2-4 out of 23 career starts, all on dirt. He registered his first annual win in April this year and was third and second in his next two starts but unseated his rider after stumbling out of the gate in his first grade-one attempt in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai in October. Although the mishap affected his performance in this year’s Musashino Stakes, the lightly raced six-year-old hopes to show his true form in his first international G1 challenge.

(7) Transcend

Although lightly raced and winless this year, Transcend is back to defend his title for the second time after last year’s remarkable back-to-back triumph. He is entered off a third in the JBC Classic where he was sent to post as favorite and aims in becoming the first horse to capture the Japan Cup Dirt title for the third time.

Recognized for his exceptional speed even before his debut, the son of Wild Rush was posted favorite in his first career start over turf as a three-year-old and finished 3/4-length second. After two wins on dirt, he was tested on turf again in the 2009 Kyoto Shimbun Hai with a view to enter him in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). However, heavily beaten to ninth in his first grade-race attempt, he was switched back to dirt and promptly won two in a row which included his first grade-race victory in the Leopard Stakes. Although unable to meet expectations against older horses in his next two grade-race starts in the Elm Stakes and the Musashino Stakes, Transcend came back nicely in his four-year-old campaign with an impressive win in the Aldebaran Stakes, in which he renewed the record time by as much as 1.2 seconds. Coming off a victory in the Miyako Stakes, he claimed his first G1 victory in the 2010 Japan Cup Dirt where he set a fast pace and crossed the wire without giving up the lead.

2011 was his most successful year as of yet, scoring three G1 wins and two seconds out of his five seasonal starts. In between his February Stakes and Mile Championship Nambu Hai victories, he was a close second to fellow Japanese rival Victoire Pisa in the Dubai World Cup to finish 1/2-length second. Sent to post as first choice in the Japan Cup Dirt, he took to the front by the first corner in spite of breaking from the farthest stall, and put two lengths between himself and his closest pursuer at the finish to claim his second consecutive title.

He has proven his liking for the Hanshin course and should he sprint well to set or press the pace at the least, his trademark gate-to-wire run will be a threat his opponents will be looking out for.

(8) Ijigen

Ijigen, a US-bred son of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner, Empire Maker, who now stands at Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan, comes off an impressive victory against a tough field of older runners in the Musashino Stakes—he lost four to five lengths from a poor start but was already within striking range turning for home and continued to pull away once taking the front. Debuting as a three-year-old this year, he has a record of five wins, two thirds and a fourth out of eight career starts and has marked the fastest time over the last three furlongs in six occasions. Although he cannot risk another bad start at G1 level in the Japan Cup Dirt, his remarkable speed and potentials will definitely be a considerable threat in the coming race.

(9) Hokko Tarumae

Hokko Tarumae comes off a neck-and-neck third in his latest start, the Miyako Stakes, his first test against older dirt specialists, after claiming the Leopard Stakes in August. Possessing speed inherited from his broodmare sire while staying over distances between 1,700 and 1,800 meters, the King Kamehamehacolt was unraced as a two-year-old and broke his maiden in his second start in January this year. Progressing well since his second victory in April, he has finished in the money in all but one out of six starts—he was trapped behind a weakening front horse and finished fifth in the Japan Dirt Derby. He is usually seen in contention all the way throughout the race and up to the wire.

(10) Roman Legend

Four-year-old Roman Legend is an up-and-coming dirt specialist who has won all of his starts except for one runner-up effort since being switched to dirt in his third career start. His near-flawless performance includes G3 titles in his two latest starts—the Elm Stakes, in which the colt necked out a fierce duel with multiple-G1 winner Espoir City, and the Miyako Stakes where he was caught between horses until 100 meters out but displayed a persistent late charge to cross the wire again a neck in front.

Unraced as a two-year-old, Roman Legend made his debut in January of his three-year-old season in a 2,000-meter turf race and was raced again on turf two weeks later, where he finished third and eighth, respectively. After being sidelined for three months, the Special Week colt was tested on dirt, where he immediately succeeded in landing his first victory with an overwhelming six-length margin. Fresh from another six-month break after his first win in May, the matured dark bay registered another win and a close second, before capping off the season with a victory in the year-end Ako Tokubetsu—the first of his ongoing six-race winning streak.

Unbeaten this year, the Hideaki Fujiwara-trained dark bay can handle any track condition and is sure to be among the top favorites in his first G1 challenge. His sister and stable-mate Miracle Legend is also a dirt specialist who has won 11 out of 22 starts on dirt, including two consecutive titles in the 2011 and 2012 JBC Ladies’ Classic.

(11) Danon Come On

Danon Come On makes his second Japan Cup Dirt attempt after finishing a close fifth last year. With two wins out four starts on turf as a two-year-old, theSymboli Kris S stallion was switched to dirt racing after four unsuccessful starts at three and proved an instant success, scoring his third career win in his dirt-race debut. He has been consistent in registering 5-7-3 and finishing within fifth in the rest of his 22 career starts on dirt, while still without a grade-race title and winless since September last year. However, the six-year-old finished strongly in his third-place effort in the Musashino Stakes and should improve in his second start of his fall campaign in the coming Japan Cup Dirt.

(12) Wonder Acute

Wonder Acute landed his first G1 victory in brilliant style in this year’s JBC Classic, his first start coming off a five-and-a-half-month break, in which he dominated a strong field that included last year’s Japan Cup Dirt champion Transcend and this year’s February Stakes winner Testa Matta.

The son of Charismatic won his career debut as a three-year-old and scored six wins out of 12 starts including two G3 titles in the Sirius Stakes and the Musashino Stakes. He also made his first Japan Cup Dirt challenge in which he finished sixth to Espoir City that year. The bay had just three starts during 2010, having fractured his left foreleg earlier in the season, but made an impressive comeback in 2011, registering 2-5-0 out of eight starts which included a G2 victory, won in record time over track condition rated sloppy in the Tokai Stakes.

Capping off the 2011 season with two runner-up efforts in the Japan Cup Dirt and the Tokyo Daishoten, the son of Charismatic kicked off this season with a third in the February Stakes, followed by a close fourth in the Diolite Kinen. He was given a break after finishing tenth in the Tokai Stakes to rest a popped splint before being sent to post fifth choice for the JBC Classic. In contention while keeping his own pace as some runners alternated positions along the way,Wonder Acute exerted a powerful kick that covered the last three furlongs in 38.6 seconds and opened the gap to five lengths.

Chasing the pace or forwardly positioned in mid-pack in most of his starts, the six-year-old has a record of five wins and a second out of eight starts at Hanshin Racecourse. He can handle various track conditions, ploughing away with power as was the case in his record breaking Tokai Stakes victory, while possessing speed that enabled him to duel over fast going against multiple G1 winner Smart Falcon in his runner-up performance in last year’s Tokyo Daishoten at Ohi.

(13) Grape Brandy

Grape Brandy made a comeback in May this year, after fracturing a coffin bone following his G1 victory in the 2011 Japan Dirt Derby (dirt, 2,000m), and marked his first win in 13 months in the Aso Stakes at Kokura—his record stands at 5-4-1 out of 13 career starts. With one win and two runner-up efforts as a two-year-old, the Manhattan Cafe colt kicked off his three-year-old season with an overwhelming six-length victory and scored a win and two seconds leading up to his Dirt Derby triumph. Though below form in his first two starts this year, he has picked up his speed since the Aso Stakes and finished third in the Sirius Stakes carrying top weights. He also showed good effort while finishing sixth in his last start.

(14) Nihonpiro Ours

Nihonpiro Ours has added two grade-race wins to his record this season in the Nagoya Daishoten and the Hakusan Daishoten, both claimed by emphatic margins. Breaking from the farthest stall on a muddy track in the Hakusan Daishoten, the five-year-old pressed the pace in second before taking to the front by the third corner and cruised down the stretch, enjoying a comfortable four-length victory. He is coming off a runner-up effort in the Miyako Stakes where despite carrying a kilo more than the winner, just missed by a neck in second. Raced on dirt from the beginning of his career, he is extremely consistent, scoring 9-6-3 in his 21 career starts—his one and only finish below fifth being last year’s Japan Cup Dirt where he was ninth.

Debuting as a three-year-old in January 2010, he marked his first win in his third race and capped off his debut year with 4-2-2 out of eight starts. Following a good six-month rest, he scored a win in his second start of his four-year-old campaign, headed to open class competition where he landed another win, and went on to register a second in the Hakusan Daishoten which was his first grade-race challenge. After scoring a third to Espoir City in the following Miyako Stakes, his first attempt against top level caliber in the 2011 Japan Cup Dirt resulted in a respectable ninth-place finish, only four lengths behind the victor and multiple-G1 winner Transcend. He capped off the season with his first grade-race victory in the Nagoya Grand Prix, easily picking off the tiring leader at the top of the stretch after chasing the pace in second.

His racing style of traveling just behind the front runner in good striking position and displaying a good closing drive has given him dominating victories by large margins this season, marking 2-2-0 in his six starts. And whether firm or testing, he has proven himself competitive over various goings, another advantage valuable in his second Japan Cup Dirt challenge.

(15) Solitary King

The late developing Solitary King is enjoying his best season yet, marking a three-race winning streak that include two consecutive grade-race wins in the Tokai Stakes and the Nippon TV Hai in May and September, respectively.

Breaking his maiden in his first and only start as a two-year-old on dirt, Solitary King won his kick-off race of his three-year-old season in January and finished a neck second in the Hyacinth Stakes. He was then tested on turf in the Spring Stakes but was switched back to dirt after finishing second from last. He capped off his three-year-old season, finishing within the money in four out of five starts on dirt, and continued to perform consistently in his four-year-old season, during which he added two more wins and made a jump in class in the Japan Cup Dirt. The son of King Kamehameha traveled in mid-pack and mustered a mild rally in the stretch to finish eighth.

He has performed best on 1,800-meter dirt races, winning five out of eight starts including two at Hanshin Racecourse, where the Japan Cup Dirt will be held. Coming off a fourth-place finish in his second G1 attempt in the JBC Classic in November, Solitary King, a brother to 2007 Japan Cup Dirt winner Vermilionand trained by the same Sei Ishizaka who has also won this year’s Japan Cup with Gentildonna, has the quality to revenge last year’s eighth-place finish and capture his first G1 title in the coming race.

(16) Nice Meet You

Nice Meet You made a successful switch to dirt racing in February this year, scoring four wins including his first grade-race victory in the Sirius Stakes. Winless in two starts as a two-year-old, the son of King Kamehameha broke his maiden on dirt in his fifth career start and scored another win, this time on turf, during his three-year-old campaign which consisted of eleven starts, mainly on turf. Winless in nine starts in the following year, the five-year-old bay kicked off his 2012 season with a seventh-place finish on turf before immediately winning his first dirt start in 22 months. Among his seven dirt-race starts this year leading up to the Japan Cup Dirt, he has recorded the fastest time over the last three furlongs on five occasions, demonstrating his powerful kick over the sand surface, but will need to prove his competence at the higher level.